DDS from DDII? Mariko compensation plan!

It's been whirlwind day. I started it super excited for entering my first Volks International lottery for the darling Mariko... and ended it knowing much more about import VAT and customs duty, and sadly, unable to afford to give this princess the UK based home I wanted to give her (Your Majesty, I am actually strangely fond of you despite my desire for a meritocracy based on individual, not necessarily academic based, achievement, but HMRC makes my wallet weep).

 

But it does mean I have a decent budget with which to start a new project! So I've mopped up my tears, told Mariko to wait for me (and the hope of a Volks EU) and decided on making my own

 

franken white skin DDS with large shapely bust

 

(insert lightning flash here)

 

60cm obitsu can be transformed into 48cm dolls by the use of craft knives, dremels and super glue, as in this tutorial on the parabox site:

http://parabox.jp/eng/custom/custom10.html

 

and while some feature of the DDII skeleton will pose an interesting challenge (I am looking at you, thighs), I really want to try making a custom DDS scale DD out of the DDII. I'll probably have to buy the DDII shapely bust seperately, but the charges are much less for just that, and I also think I can make my own Mariko out of a DDH06 with some heavy customising (also cheaper to import).

 

Now going to pop over the 'looking for' section to post about wanting to buy a bashed, broken, stained white skin body that only a mother could love. Wish me luck this will probably be a long term project, as I guess it'll take a while to find a DDII body that I'll feel comfortable modding so extensively.

That sounds really difficult.

For example, even if you can shorten the DD legs at the shins, there might not be as many shoes that can be worn due to a wide ankle. Plus other folks have had difficulty smoothing cuts on DD vinyl, so the result will always be a bit rough.

 

I think you may want to look for a Mariko body on Y!JA or similar, and paint up an HDD-06 head as you planned. Overseas sellers will often mark down the package value, which could help reduce your VAT.

 

But, if you're eager to try the mod route, old and stained DD bodies turn up often on the Den of Angels marketplace, so that'd be the place to look.

Out of curiosity, what kind of fees (percentage etc) are you looking at for importing a doll?

 

In Canada our import fees range by province because of the taxes. In Ontario we have Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) and that is currently at 13% plus there's a "handling fee" of CA$8.50

 

So on items like DD's that cost let's say US$650 I would pay CA$95.34 in duty and import fees.

 

I know some countries have crazy duty, but I was curious how expensive yours were to warrant aborting operation "Mariko get"

Out of curiosity, what kind of fees (percentage etc) are you looking at for importing a doll?

 

In Canada our import fees range by province because of the taxes. In Ontario we have Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) and that is currently at 13% plus there's a "handling fee" of CA$8.50

 

So on items like DD's that cost let's say US$650 I would pay CA$95.34 in duty and import fees.

 

I know some countries have crazy duty, but I was curious how expensive yours were to warrant aborting operation "Mariko get"

 

Ah.... HST, don't remind me. Saber is coming in January for me and I am going to get hit pretty hard -cross finger that they don't check my package

 

Good luck Till, it sounds like a pretty big project but it can be done (with a LOT of work). Like Plastic have asked, how much do they charge you in taxes over there? I would just save up for Mariko instead of doing a crazy mod.

Yeah, it'll be a lot of work, and no doubt I'll make some very big screw adapting the Obitsu method to the DD skeleton. But I really like hands on projects like this, possibly even more than getting a new doll!

 

Mariko is around £460 in UK monies. I naively budgeted £550 for Mariko, shipping and customs, but forgot VAT >.<. When I did the online customs duty and VAT, she came up to closer to £700-£720 (Duty of ~5% on doll price, then 20% VAT on combined doll, shipping, insurance and customs duty charges), and then there are Royal Mail and Parcel Force handling fees (~£20 each from what I've heard) on top of that. So my woe is due to my own inexperience with importing expensive items from outside the EU, and forgetting the VAT!

 

It's okay tho. I now know what kind of saving I need to do for the day I do go for a doll and I have a project lined up that I am now really looking forward to!

 

Jadepixel: for the ankle, the guide has the modder removing height from the thinner part of the leg, so the ankle join is preserved. I am not sure how it'll work on the DD, but I am excited to find out I think my hardest part will be removing length from the thigh skeleton. I am sure my dremel is going to get a good workout!

Is there no way you could squeeze that extra £150? That doesn't seem like it would be that large of a dealbreaker, but then again I have no idea what your finances are like.

Mariko is around £460 in UK monies. I naively budgeted £550 for Mariko, shipping and customs, but forgot VAT >.<. When I did the online customs duty and VAT, she came up to closer to £700-£720 (Duty of ~5% on doll price, then 20% VAT on combined doll, shipping, insurance and customs duty charges), and then there are Royal Mail and Parcel Force handling fees (~£20 each from what I've heard) on top of that. So my woe is due to my own inexperience with importing expensive items from outside the EU, and forgetting the VAT!

 

Sounds familiar. In Finland VAT is 23% and for the whole doll with duty it goes up to 30%. Customs have they're own currency conversion rates and those are always worse than example visa's exchange rate. I have made an exel sheet to calculate how much ordering a doll would cost me and Mariko would have been 797 euros (180 euros for customs). No dolly for me either...

Sounds familiar. In Finland VAT is 23% and for the whole doll with duty it goes up to 30%. Customs have they're own currency conversion rates and those are always worse than example visa's exchange rate. I have made an exel sheet to calculate how much ordering a doll would cost me and Mariko would have been 797 euros (180 euros for customs). No dolly for me either...

 

Join me in my dreaming of a Volks Europe we can commiserate together til then

 

Now that the initial 'wahhh can't get Mariko must think of DD alternative NOW!' has worn off, and I've had a chance to examine the DDII skeleton more closely, this is a much bigger mod compared to the old 60cm obtisu body, which is much simpler. Also, I've also been able to step back and think about what I really wanted to do with Mariko, which mostly consisted of using different eyes and wigs to find a way to make her look a little happier, and making her lots of comfy clothes (does she not look like she is born for big fluffy jumpers? With bunnies?).

 

While I can't afford to import the limited Mariko DD, I can afford to import an Obitsu 50cm, with lots of option heads, and the large bust. It'll be the equivalent to normal skin, but am hoping I can use one of the option heads to make a Mariko style face, and that she'll fill my 'moe and in need of fluffy jumpers' niche.

 

Alas, I believe this puts my CC in the off-topic doll category, so I think it's the end of this thread. Thanks for all your advice, everyone who commented! It made me look hard at the mod I was planning, and realise a better route for making my own Mariko.

Join me in my dreaming of a Volks Europe we can commiserate together til then

 

We can do that. If I wouldn't live in Finland (population of 5 million) I probably would have by now contacted Volks and asked what should I do to get Volks EU established.

 

Also, I've also been able to step back and think about what I really wanted to do with Mariko, which mostly consisted of using different eyes and wigs to find a way to make her look a little happier, and making her lots of comfy clothes (does she not look like she is born for big fluffy jumpers? With bunnies?).

 

I wonder if you can make her look happier without changing her face-up?... But she does have a pretty face that would work great with bunny theme ^_^